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NASW News

NASW Collecting Comments for Next Delegate Assembly

NASW is in the process of collecting comments for its triennial Delegate Assembly.

The Delegate Assembly is the body responsible for setting program priorities and broad public and professional policy for NASW.

The event sets program priorities for a three-year period; in this case, fiscal years 2015-18.

The culminating event takes place Aug. 2, 2014. On that day, delegates will conduct final discussion and voting using a specially designed website.

The discussion process for Delegate Assembly for NASW members and delegates has already begun.

It serves as the primary communication center for all activities and offers the opportunity to post and exchange comments with other NASW members and delegates.

There is one bylaws amendment proposal that seeks to dissolve the Delegate Assembly structure and assign its functions to committees and the NASW board of directors, while retaining member input and participation on policy panels.

The Delegate Assembly policy statements are guides for the association when considering positions on certain issues, and for practitioners to address their concerns. Any updates to the policies are published in Social Work Speaks.

The automatically referred policies for the 2014 Delegate Assembly:

Affirmative Action

Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs

Child Abuse and Neglect

Cultural and Linguistic Competence in the Social Work Profession

Disasters

Early Childhood Care and Services

Education of Children and Youths

Electoral Policy

End-of-life Care

Gender, Ethnic and Race-based Workplace Discrimination

Homelessness

Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issues

Long-term Care

Physical Punishment of Children

Public Child Welfare

Racism

Role of Government, Social Policy and Social Work

School Truancy and Dropout Prevention

Women in the Social Work Profession

Women’s Issues

Youth Suicide

There are a total of 277 delegates, of which 221 delegates will have voting privileges. The delegates without voting privileges comprise 55 chapter executive directors and NASW CEO Angelo McClain. These delegates have speaking privileges during Delegate Assembly.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards for social workers, and to advance sound social policies.